Crossroads Guitar Festival: Important Info For Those Attending

Published // 09.Apr.13

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival takes place Friday and Saturday, April 12th and 13th, at New York's Madison Square Garden. Each night, the music starts promptly at 7:30PM. Those attending should be in their seats by 7:20PM. The concerts are expected to end around midnight. Those taking public transportation to the shows are advised to check schedules as not all run 24/7 (the major transit services in the Tri-State Area are listed below, with links).

A complete schedule of performers and performance times will not be released prior to the shows. But, it has been announced that Eric will start things off himself with an acoustic set Friday night. That night, he's also planning to sit in with many of the guest stars including that night’s headliner, the Allman Brothers Band. Eric Clapton & His Band will headline Saturday, April 13. Tickets for both performances can be purchased from Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster Charge By Phone and the Madison Square Garden box office.

Ticket holders are also invited to arrive early to visit the "Guitar Center Road to Crossroads" Exhibition. This very special exhibition will include archival video content and memorabilia from prior Crossroads Festivals, as well as interactive exhibits featuring new guitars and recording gear from Ernie Ball, Fender, Gibson, Martin, and Olympus. In addition, six of the most valuable guitars in the world, on loan from the Guitar Center Legends Collection and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will be featured on the Exhibit's Guitar Walk. Guitars on display include Eric Clapton’s Fender Stratocasters "Blackie" and "Brownie"; his early Gibson ES-335; vintage Martins; Stevie Ray Vaughan's Fender Strat "Lenny"; Clapton's 9/11 guitars; the new Crossroads Limited Editions by Fender, Gibson, and Martin; and the last guitar Muddy Waters played in concert. The Guitar Center Road to Crossroads Exhibition, to be held on the Terrace Level of MSG, will open on Friday April 12 at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday April 13 at 6:00 p.m. and will remain open until 10:30 p.m. both nights.

Official Crossroads Guitar Festival Merchandise will be available for purchase in the mall area outside the Madison Square Garden ticket office starting at 2PM on both days. You do not need an event ticket to purchase official merchandise in the mall area. Enter from 7th Avenue at 32nd Street.

Madison Square Garden is located directly above Penn Station and is easily accessible by taking the 1,2,3, A, C, E trains (subway) to 34th Street/Penn Station. Penn Station is also directly serviced by NJ Transit, Long Island Railroad and Amtrak. You may also take the B, D, F, V, N, R, Q, W trains (subway) to the 34th Street/Herald Square stop and walk one block west to The Garden. PATH trains from New Jersey also stop at 33rd Street/Avenue of the Americas. If you are arriving via Metro-North, you may take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square and transfer to the downtown 1,2,3 trains to 34th Street/Penn Station.

For detailed driving directions from your point of departure, visit an online mapping website of your choice such as Mapquest.com or maps.yahoo.com and input Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10001 as the destination address. This is also the address to use with GPS. There are numerous parking garages in the area around The Garden. If using street parking, read all posted signs carefully.